Sri Lanka: People want me not any other Rajapaksas — Mahinda Sidelines Gota!

(January 29, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has strongly disapproved of a proposal made by Kumar Welgama on behalf of the joint opposition ( JO)  to bring in either Gotabhaya Rajapaksa or Chamal Rajapaksa as his political successor, ‘Sathhanda’  a Colombo based weekly newspaper reported.

Welgama made the suggestion after a meeting the JO leaders had with Gotabhaya recently, where it was stressed that they could not go on in this journey by retaining Mahinda as their leader.

JO sources say that Mahinda had become very angry at the suggestion, severely reprimanded Welgama and expelled him.

He has insisted that JO leaders should understand the reality that people want him, not Gotabhaya or Chamal.

Later, Vidura Wickremanayake met Mahinda and made the same proposal, but he too, was given the same response, in addition to the warning that no such proposals should be made to him in the future.

He said Gotabhaya could not understand the politics and was entangled in the trap set by the incumbent president.

Wickremanayake noted that Mahinda’s attempts to form a new party would enable the UNP to win the 2020 elections easily.

Mahinda responded by saying that that was not his problem.

Thereafter, JO leaders held a discussion and stressed that they should go for a strong decision, as if they agreed with Mahinda, they too, would be contributing to the UNP’s 2020 win and for a division of the SLFP.